Conversion of wood or other cellulose material into glucose and other soluble and insoluble carbohydrates.



UNITED STATES PA NT QFFIQE;

' ALEXANDER CLASSEN, OF AACHEN, GERMANY.

CONVERSION OF WOOD OTHER CELLULOSE MATERIAL INTO GLUCOSE AND OTHER No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, ALEXANDER CLAssEN, a citizen of Germany, residing at Aachen, in the Empire of Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Conversion of Wood or other Cellulose Material into Glucose and other Soluble and Insoluble Carbohydrates, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to effect certain economies in the conversion of Wood and other cellulose material into other carbohydrates by the use of sulfurous and sulfuric acids. When sulfurous acid alone is employed for this purpose, the uantity of sulfuric acid necessary to effect t e conversion is formed by oxidizing the sulfurous acid. This oxidation is effected by introducing air, oxygen, or a substance yielding oxygen, and raising the reagents to the temperature necessary to secure an efiicient reaction.

I have found that by the use of catalytic agent, such as finely divided platinum,

or other metals, or finely divided ferric oxid, the formation of sulfuric acid is more readily effected, and that the operation may be conducted at a lower temperature and by the use of smaller quantities of sulfurous acid, and that, furthermore, a larger yield of sugar and other carbohydrates is secured when the operation is conducted in the presence of a catalytic agent.

, As a specific example of one mode of c rrying out my process, I have used 100 ki- 0-.

grams of wood containing from 15 to 50 per cent. of moisture, and 15 to 20 kilograms of an aqueous solution of sulfurous acid saturated at the ordinary temperature. The mass is heated to'a' temperature of from 110 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June as, 191a.

Application filed November 11, 1912. Serial No. 730,537.

to 135 degrees centigrade in a slowly turning closed vessel for a period of thirty to sixty minutes, a suitable quantity of a catalytic agent being inclosed in the vessel, together with the other substances mentioned. After the conversion has been effected, the undecomposed sulfurous acid is blown out, taken up in Water and employed in other converting operations. The product 01 the conversion contains in addition to glucose other soluble and insoluble carbohydrates.

The glucose may be separated and used for any purpose for whichglucose is adapted in the arts and-industries, or the entire mass may be mixed with other food Stuffs and used for feeding animals.

\Vhat I claim is:

l. A process for converting wood and other carbohydrates, which comprises the introduction of the wood 'or other cellulose material into a vessel, together with sulfurous acid, water and a atalytic agent, and the heating of said substances to a suitable temperature.

In testlmony 'whereofJI have subscribed my name. ALEXANDER CLASSEN. Witnesses:

HEINRICH CLOEREN, KUNs WOLF. 

